Oneshot: Still painful
by TomPen94
Summary: Naruto attends to Neji's funeral and finds a disheartened Hinata.


Hey guys.

NH hype continues and ideas for fanfics continue flowing in.

This time I decided to extend the funeral scene seen in chapter 699. I figured doing a hurt/comfort fic would be good, or at least I'd give it a try. This is my first true attempt at a hurt/comfort fic.

Anyway, enjoy.

-o-

This was it. The moment had come…

Shortly after his battle with Sasuke, they released the Infinite Tsukuyomi and everyone was free again. The Kages, the Feudal Lords, his teachers, his friends… Those he loved. They had succeeded. Sasuke was back at their side and no one could pose any threat now. Sasuke then released the Bijuus. They were released into the wild with a promise to never harm the villages. After that, they walked home. It was a big walk. They were tired and the injured were numerous. It took them several days for to reach the village.

The recuperation was happening, but slowly. Tsunade-baachan retired as the Hokage. She said there wasn't much more she could do as the Hokage, and she went on to help the Hospital in the village and attend the wounded along with Sakura-chan. Kakashi-sensei was immediately chosen as the Sixth Hokage. He took it upon himself to work out the diplomacy of the village and reassure cooperation with the other villages.

In the midst of all of this… There had been no time to remember those who had fallen in the battle. But that day was today. Almost two weeks after the final day of the 4th Shinobi World War…

He looked around his empty room. This feeling was familiar. It wasn't the first time he was preparing for a funeral. He had done it once. Three years ago… When the 3rd Hokage died. He shook his head to stop reminiscing and got out of his room.

He looked in surprise as he saw his two teammates waiting for him outside his apartment. Sakura-chan looked disheartened. It seemed the wave of sadness that suddenly hit the village creeped its way into her as well. Sasuke, however, sported a different look. Having spent so much time away, he didn't develop the bonds that Naruto and Sakura did. But he did pay his respects.

The three walked toward the graveyard without saying a word. There was nothing to talk about. There was nothing worth mentioning. The sky was a clean blue, and the sun was shining brightly. It was almost as if weather itself was mocking them. After a few minutes of walking around, they reached the site of the funeral. It was full of people.

Of course, with so many casualties, holding an individual funeral for each of the departed was impossible. A massive funeral was organized instead. He wasn't sure whether to feel sad about it or not. For a Shinobi to die on the battlefield, it was an honor… Or at least it used to be. If the word 'Shinobi' had any meaning now, he didn't know what it was. It was still being redefined.

They walked into the graveyard and spotted Team Asuma. The three were together, staring down at two gravestones. Along with them was Choza, Choji's father. Those were probably the graves for Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi.

Naruto stepped forward and took another look around. He spotted six people staring down at a single grave. He looked back at his two teammates, they seemed to have noticed it too. Sakura-chan signalled him to go.

Leaving his teammates behind, Naruto approached the crowded grave. Just as suspected, it was the grave of Hyuga Neji. Neji's teammates and his closest relatives had come to pay their respects to him. The six people didn't seem to notice Naruto. One of the six, the girl with dark blue hair, reached out to put a single incense stick on the grave and lit it. Naruto never really understood those things, but he wasn't going to talk about it here, he simply stood behind the girl. He wanted to provide her support, but at the same time he wanted to leave her in peace.

Two more people arrived at Neji's grave. They were the girl's teammates. Like him, they didn't say a single word and simply stood there, paying their respects.

"We are gathered here today…" the spokesperson started the funeral speech, but no one was really paying any attention. In the end, those words were just a formality.

For hours, he stood there staring down at the grave as people gradually started leaving the graveyard. From the ones mourning Hyuga Neji, the first ones to leave were Kiba and Shino. Some time later, Tenten took Gai, who was on a wheelchair, and left the graveyard as well. Lee was the next one to leave. Unlike his sensei and his teammate, who just had a desolate look on their faces, Lee was still crying. Naruto looked as Lee walked out of the graveyard.

Only the Hyugas were left. He now felt like a complete outsider. He didn't want to ruin a family moment. With a final thought of respect to Neji, he turned around to leave, but someone grabbed his arm. Hinata hadn't even looked at him once, and she knew he was there. She wasn't even looking at him now, she had just extended her arm back and grabbed his before he could leave.

Not too long afterwards, the other two Hyuga turned to leave. Hiashi looked at him, acknowledging his presence, before guiding a desolated Hanabi out of the graveyard.

He wasn't sure what time it was. He had come here in the morning and just stood there for hours. It wasn't long before everyone had left the graveyard. The end of the day was nearing, surely. He would've already left the graveyard if not for the girl in front of him. He didn't like funerals, they only reminded him of the sad memories of seeing his friends' death.

The sun was now being blocked by clouds. It seemed the skies weren't willing to mock him anymore. The sky quickly turned grey, it was going to rain soon.

The girl seemed to have noticed the shift in weather. Still she didn't leave the spot in front of Neji's grave. It looked like she didn't want to leave Neji, and surely enough, it started to rain.

The rain quickly soaked the ground, and water started washing the graves. The girl still didn't leave the spot. Her grief was real. He had to give her some comfort.

"Hinata…" he started.

"Naruto-kun." She interrupted him and turned around. She kept looking down, she didn't look at him. Her eyes were sore from crying. Even in the rain, it was noticeable where her tears had made a path on her face "Why is it… that even after what I said when Neji-niisan died…"

The two were very close, and he wasn't sure of what to do or say. But suddenly her hands reached out to him and grabbed his black shirt with all the strength they had, and she buried her head on his chest "Why am I still crying…? Why does it hurt so much…?"

Unsure of what to do, he placed his arms around her "Neji's death wasn't in vain. But that doesn't mean we won't miss him…"

She broke into more tears "I thought that… after all that happened… I wouldn't cry today… But here I am…"

He rested his head on hers "It's okay to cry. Crying means we won't forget him."

Hinata started sobbing on his chest, while he kept embracing her. They stayed like that for a while. Long enough for the rain to go away. She eventually stopped crying, but she didn't pull away.

"You better now?" he asked, as he slowly let go of her.

"Yes…" she wiped the tears off her face "Thank you, Naruto-kun… For listening to me…"

"You don't have to thank me." Naruto replied, giving her a small, but genuine, smile.

"Hmm…" Hinata nodded and returned the smile.

"Well… I'll be leaving now…" Naruto said "Want me to walk you home?"

"I'll stay here for a little longer." Hinata said "Neji-niisan did a lot for me. I want to pay my respects a little longer."

"Very well then…" Naruto said "I'll see you around, then."

"Yes." Hinata nodded as Naruto waved and walked away. She turned back before looking at the skies above. The sun was almost setting, it seemed she had literally spent the entire day standing in front of Neji-niisan's grave. She kneeled down to look at the incense stick she had put on the grave in the morning, it completely burned away. Even in the rain, the incense remained lit and burning.

Neji-niisan's Will of Fire lived on. Inside her, inside Naruto-kun, and inside everyone who shared it with him.

-o-

And that was it. Thanks for reading.

Tell me what you thought, leave a review.


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